Texas gets EV charging network

HOUSTON, April 11 (UPI) -- Electric vehicles moved a step closer to becoming the main transportation choice for Texans with plans for a network of charging stations, the governor said.

NRG Inc. announced plans to install 70 charging stations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and 50 in Houston by the end of 2012. About half of those could be in place by this summer, however.

Each charging station gives commuters the opportunity to add 30 miles of range to their electric vehicles with about 10 minutes of charging.

The first station was unveiled in Dallas, giving Texas electrical vehicle owners "the freedom to drive with range confidence throughout the region," said David Crane, NRG's president and chief executive officer, in a statement.

NRG said transportation accounts for about 25 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, said the effort to bring EV options to Texan commuters was a step in the right direction for environmental stewardship.

"I'm proud of our efforts in Texas to foster an environment that frees the private sector to solve problems and meet challenges," he said in a statement.

U.S. President Barack Obama during his State of the Union address in January announced a goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.